Texas' D'Onta Foreman and San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey are the other two finalists; the winner will be announced in Atlanta on Dec. 9.

Cook, a Miami native, is second among Power Five running backs with 1,467 rushing yards and 1,867 yards from scrimmage. Last week, he passed Warrick Dunn to become the school's all-time leading rusher. With one touchdown carry Saturday against Florida, he will break the school's career rushing touchdown mark.

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Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Miami Hurricanes and UCF Knights fans, welcome to the Sunshine State blog for all your news about your favorite college teams. It's written by the staff of the Tampa Bay Times. We invite your comments and participation.